a dreambook of days
by Bowtie
Summary: NevilleLuna. Anthology. 02. On the eve of the final battle, Neville and Luna brace themselves.
1. simply ordinary

**Title: **simply ordinary  
**Prompt: **08. breathtaking reality  
**Word Count: **552

**Summary:** In a moment of desperation, Neville shines.

**author's tidbit:** A small anthology of mostly ficlet length Neville/Luna works, because their compatibility is so completely underrated.

* * *

Neville has never been particularly good at anything in his life. At best, mediocre, and at worst, the bottom of the pack, which unfortunately, is where he usually finds himself. Yet he has accepted, has never complained about the nature of his life because he is a stout believer of the saying that fate decides what happens and to who. It simply is not in his cards to be a hero like Harry, a genius like Hermione or a prat like Malfoy.

Neville has always been simply ordinary, and he has been absolutely fine with that. Next to his wonderful friends, he has been content to just be there, to partake in some of the action.

Life, however, is incapable of being predictable. Thrown into the chaos that is the final battle, Neville finds himself surrounded by the exact scenarios he's never even dreamed of, even in the wildest of reveries. Green sparks are flying around him, mingled with the red tinges of a _stupefy _spell, and for a moment Neville thinks he sees Christmas. But a Death Eater clanks to the ground next to him, caught in the crossfire of two _Avada Kedavras, _bringing Neville back to the anarchic reality.

_What to do, what to do?_ he thinks hurriedly, and in the confusion, manages to shoot out a spell, hitting a nearby Death Eater. Neville hardly notices, for he sees, a little ways to his left a desperate scene. Luna is there – _what is she doing here? –_ surrounded by two Death Eaters. Neville's mind suddenly blanks and freezes as he panics.

The next few moments seem to happen in slow motion.

Death Eater #1 raises his wand, the intent to kill clearly shrouding his person. Death Eater #2 mimics the action, and together they angle themselves in such a way that the wandless Luna is absolutely trapped. Neville's heart freezes in his body as the realization dawns on him.

_No!_

Without thinking, he raises his own wand and aims it desperately at the trio. He is no genius and he is no hero, and so no save-all curse comes to mind. No charms, no spells that can alleviate the situation float to the forefronts of his brain, and so in desperation, he jabs hard in their direction, with all his feelings of loss, love and anger.

He watches in wonder as a whitish-yellow hued stream zooms towards the trio and shrouds Luna in its light. The green of the two _Avadas_ are deflected, one refraction hitting Death Eater #1 and the other towards a marble column to the right. In the haze and confusion, another _Avada_ streams from behind them, and Death Eater #2 falls to the ground, next to his partner. Somewhere off in the distance, Neville sees Hermione turn back to her own battle.

Neville's wits return to him then, and he hurries to Luna's side. The glow is just about fading from her person when he reaches her, and for a moment he loses touch with reality. With her shining hair, glowing eyes and pure aura, she looks nothing short of an angel. Neville's breath escapes him as he takes in the vision standing so close to him. Then, she smiles at him.

"Thank you, Neville," she says, placing a slow, chaste kiss on his cheek.

Under her touch, Neville blushes.

* * *

_fin_


	2. pretend, pretend

**Title: **pretend, pretend, that serenity we can mend  
**Word Count:** 626  
**Prompt: ** 29. the calm before the storm

**Summary:** On the eve of the final battle, Neville and Luna brace themselves.

* * *

Everything is quiet, except for the soft murmur of the forest around them, of the buzzing of the tiny lives that they can't see, especially not in the current darkness. They're sitting side by side, not touching, yet close enough to be, and not talking, yet the silence seems to suffocate them. But they both know it's not the silence that's suffocating; rather, it's the reason behind her lack of nonsensical words, and his charmed laughter.

Finally, Neville decides that that's enough nonsense from the both of them, and clears his throat. The noise sticks out sorely amongst the complimentary noises of the forests, and it's a disturbance, just as they are to the scenery.

"What do you think it'll be like?"

Luna stays silent for a while, perhaps pondering his dreadful question, or perhaps just studying the plethora of stars that decorate the night sky. But after a few moments she answers, in a quiet and singsong voice so unlike his own. Her voice seems to blend in the with calm forests, and it even calms him down, even as her words drive knives into his being.

"Death. Anguish. More death," she says in her bell-like tone, "Maybe all that death will bring us peace. Maybe, it'll only bring the beginning of disaster."

It's the truth, of course, and Neville never expected Luna to say anything but the truth, if he'd been expecting anything at all. But nonetheless his heart clenches at her words, as if they've confirmed a suspected disaster in his mind and heart, when in actuality they're nothing but speculation, not unlike his own.

"Will we live, do you think?"

Again she's silent, as if deep in thought, or just deeply connected with the life around her. And again she drives needles through his soul as she replies truthfully.

"Probably not. We'll be at the front lines of the battle, after all."

It's the truth, the hard, hard truth. The truth behind death and the truth behind fate. Neville wants nothing less than to face tomorrow, when he knows that serenity will be a thing of the past. Tomorrow holds for him nothing but death and Death Eaters who will bring down upon them all the death in the world. Is it enough to know that, should they perish, it was in the Fight for Light, the Fight for All That Is Right?

Heavy hands squeeze Neville's heart tightly as he thinks of these things and their impending doom, and out of this fit, he reaches his right hand out and grabs for her left. It takes less than a second, because she neither moves nor reacts, but when his fingers close around hers, he tightens his grip, holding her slender fingers tightly within his large hand. He squeezes them so hard he knows she's probably lost all feeling in them, but he doesn't have it in him to let go.

Neville closes his eyes, breathes in deeply and pitches backwards onto the large rock they're perched on, until he's all but lying on it. Still, he clutches onto her hand, and using his other hand, he tugs the wool blanket over his body.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Luna," he whispers, his voice cracking and hoarse. Under the moonlight, she thinks she can see the trail left behind by a silvery tear on his innocent face, so she too closes her eyes. Mimicking him, she also falls backwards onto the rock, and tugs their shared blanket over her body once she's lying down.

She whispers a soft, anguished _good night_ that's lost to the night air, and before she surrenders herself to tomorrow and the chaos it will bring, she tightens her grip on Neville's hand.

* * *

_fin_


End file.
